On March 31, 2025, I amazingly entered the 70 series: a milestone if one succeeds this far. It’s a time to reflect past achievements, experiences and memories:
Born uniquely tongue-tied made it physically impossible to properly recite the Quran. A late surgery clarified an ENT specialist was my father's mistake to rectify the problem and I still stammer sometimes in public speaking when thoughts flow faster than my tongue can cope. I wonder why I was born with this handicap but it taught me humility from a very young age.
Over the years, I’ve been literally broken here, mended there but Alhamduillah, still in one piece. I should have kicked the bucket as early as 4 but for reasons Allah knows best, I survived death many times. There obviously must be something crucial I not die yet.
Being playful during school days saw me get pathetic exam results but a change in mindset earned me a diploma and degree in town planning. In career, I earned 3 Excellence Service Award, even got honored AMN 🤗, I think could have clinched a State Datuk lordship had I stayed longer but I was more interested in furthering my studies where I was awarded a MSc. in GIS and Geomatics My old man who almost gave up on me when he saw my MCE results, smiled a quiet relief.
Tinkering with Open Source not of my academic line, my name became synonymous with QGIS with both public and private sector when I promoted it seeing its potential to save millions ringgit of public fund but it was very difficult as I challenged the dept IT status quo preference for propriety software. However, the whole department began to show their respect when they found out I quietly won the Prime Minister's Open Source Grand Award at the EPU's 2010 anugeral Open Source Software competition. That started to open doors. The final feather in the cap came after I pensioned as I was recognized as a departmental Pioneer (1 out of 9 in a department with 1000 employees) for promoting Open Source in particular QGIS at a time when the average Joe never heard of it.
Yes, there were good times: I studied abroad, visited 30+ countries through holidays and on-government service and got fully sponsored for umrah. I was not good in having a successful relationship but eventually settled down at 35 and built a closely knit family. Obessed with improved performance and customization, after 4 yrs of working, I realized my radical Fiat 131 Supermirafiori to make it take corners like a leech and fly like a bat out of hell. That was a 10 yr. love affair.
After pensioned, I owned a zebra stripe hardtail bobber, my schoolboy's dream at the age of 60 but life has been challenging to say the least. I’ve tasted blood, sweat and tears yet somehow bounced back. I've survived a broken arm bone, a hemorrhoid and 2 separate hernia surgeries plus a hairline fracture at my hip bone.
Reaching 70, I find now I easily get tired and wonder when my time will come and this always takes me to a time after bapak had a second stroke. I asked if he was ever afraid of dying? He was 64 then and said living any day after 63 (the year Rasul demised) was a bonus so it didn’t matter. I too have that similar feeling and see death merely a gateway to the permanent world; we are not perfect but insyallah, to Jannah.
I uniquely survived 10 death defying incidences:
1. At 4, I lost much blood after broken glass milk bottle cut my arm vein. Doctor said had I reached hospital 1 hr later, I might not have made it.
2. At 7, I dived into deep end of Port Dickson (PD) beach lagoon without first checking. I managed to get out safely after some struggle and my feet somehow managed to touch the edge of slope so I pushed myself forward.
3. At 18, the car I was in spun on top of a hill ledge around the wet road missing cars from both directions because my brother had not serviced the brake pads.
4. At 19, the car I was in sommersaulted down 40' ravine but stopped short of crashing into rock boulders. The police inspector who visited the site said I should have died but it was not my time ... yet.
5. At 25, I drove along JB-Kota Tinggi road in the night, took hair pin corner suddenly the right side of car lifted. I drove on 2 wheels for a while but landed gently as road curved to the right.
6. At 26, I got leg cramp while swimming in the Tioman sea. I managed to swim with one leg to a friend 10' close by who then helped me swim back to our boat.
7. At 33, an oil tanker crossed my path from left to right then stopped 3/4 way because of on-coming traffic. A mad 2 sec. steering wheel left to right flick together with a 5th to 2nd gear manuever helped avoid direct collision.
8. At 34, I drove along Batu Gajah-PD road in the night, suddenly, I came across cows lazing in the middle of the road. I miraclously drove in-between them and avoided a head-on accident.
9. At 35, I again drove along Batu Gajah-PD road and just managed to avoid a fast army truck that popped out from a deceptive undulating corner.
10. At 37, I was about to fix a wall bulb when suddenly fell off the ladder. I manage to flip mid-air and avoid breaking my back, thankfully, just broke arm.
To have my 70th birthday fall on Eid Mubarak which has never happened before in my life is statistically rare. I have a gut feeling it is auspicious but I'm no fortune teller. In October, MIL after selling her home up in Kedah to stay with us sponsored to repair my 5yr long haul storaged bobber. In November, my brother called to sponsor all 3 children for a February 2026 umrah which they all accepted. By Christmas, wifey and me will move to reside in a up-market double storey link house my children bought as a long term investment as they don't want to rent it and will continue to reside at our present home as they all work in Kuala Lumpur.
In the meantime, since January 2024, I've been full-time caregiver to mother-in-law which I now realize is physically, emotionally and spiritually exhaustive but so obvious to me a task given by divine decree as I'm the only one with free time, being a pensioner while the rest have their commitments thankfully recently wifey officially pensioner now assists in this task. 2yrd before, I stayed with MIL after she broke her arm for 3 maths until the bone joined.
I've come to the conclusion, unlike others who I see as metaphorically hexagon nuts, I'm a 7 sided heptagon nut designed by Allah for a specific purpose(s) and compared to my peers, live away from the limelight and glamour yet without which life's tapestry will go haywire.
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